Why Mark Wahlberg's New Movie With Bottom 3 Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Taking Over The World

3 days ago 7

Published Apr 20, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

Mark Wahlberg has delivered another major hit movie, this time with his new release becoming a huge hit on streaming. Thanks to starring in major franchises like Transformers, comedies like The Other Guys, and thrillers like Lone Survivor, the actor has built an impressive career and found a way to be considered among Hollywood's most recognizable stars.

Wahlberg stars alongside Paul Walter Hauser, Sacha Baron Cohen, Benjamin Bratt, Daniela Melchior, and others in the R-rated action-comedy from director Peter Farrelly, whose credits include Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, and Green Book. The movie officially debuted exclusively on Prime Video on April 15, allowing people everywhere to check out the World Cup-based absurdist comedy.

However, the reaction has been harsh. Balls Up's Rotten Tomatoes score is just 28% with critics, and the audience score is one of the lowest of Wahlberg's career, currently sitting at 26% (behind only The Union and The Happening, tied at 24%). These overwhelmingly negative reactions would seemingly deter a lot of people from checking out the movie, but the opposite result has happened.

Mark Wahlberg's Balls Up Has Become A Worldwide Hit On Prime Video

Paul Walter Hauser and Mark Wahlberg are running away from a crowd in Balls Up

In the days after Balls Up's launch on Prime Video, the movie has become a global sensation. It is currently the #1 movie on Prime Video in the United States as well as the entire world. Wahlberg's comedy has dethroned Chris Hemsworth's crime thriller Crime 101 from the #1 spot in the process.

According to FlixPatrol, the R-rated buddy comedy is the top movie in 21 different countries, including America. That count is about half of where it was on Friday, when Balls Up was topping Prime Video's charts in 39 countries. Despite it falling to 2nd place in many territories since then, Wahlberg's movie is no lower than 5th in the 50 countries that FlixPatrol pulls streaming data from.

Domestically, Balls Up is really showing the strength of Wahlberg's starpower. Not only is it the #1 movie on the platform, but it holds the #1 spot overall when movies and shows are combined. It's even managed to take down The Boys season 5 thanks to how many people are checking out the film.

Why People Around The Globe Are Watching Balls Up So Much

Clearly, the poor reviews for Balls Up have not kept subscribers from clicking play. Prime Video doesn't display any Rotten Tomatoes metrics that would give someone an indication that the film has been so poorly received there, but it does include the 4.6/10 IMDb score and overall 3.4/5 rating from users. So why are so many overlooking those scores?

For starters, Balls Up is benefiting from the initial bump in interest that comes with being a new release on a major streaming platform. As seen with Hemsworth's Crime 101 and Chris Pratt's Mercy topping Prime's charts earlier this year, movies that are both critically praised and despised can gain more attention simply by dropping on streaming.

In Balls Up's case, it is a Prime Video exclusive, making it feel even fresher. Anyone looking for something new to watch attentively or passively can see this movie plastered over the streaming service and elect to watch it with ease. Someone can click play at any time on any day and view it in as many sittings as they want in their ideal viewing environment.

Wahlberg's starring role doesn't hurt either. He has a history of entertaining audiences and delivering some good comedies, so most people know what type of movie to expect if he's in the center. Add in recognizable stars from Cobra Kai, Borat, and more, and there are enough actors in here who are globally recognized to boost the appeal.

The comedic genre of Balls Up is another point in its favor. Streamers are often inundated with action, thrillers, and romances, but lots of people want to laugh, too. That is one of the central selling points of Wahlberg's movie. And with its ridiculous, raunchy tone, there is a chance to have fun with this one.

Mark Wahlberg's Popularity Helps His Movies Overcome Negative Reactions

Mark Wahlberg smiles at the premiere for The Union

If there is one reason above all that Balls Up is a streaming hit, it's Wahlberg. He has a history of making movies that dominate viewership charts, even if the consensus on them is negative.

Since 2020, Wahlberg has starred in eight movies that received exclusive streaming releases, including Balls Up. None of them have been positively received, with last year's Play Dirty the best-reviewed and only scoring a 42% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Mark Wahlberg Streaming Movies

Movie	Critics RT Score	Audience RT Score
Spenser Confidential (2020)	35%	51%
Infinite (2021)	17%	34%
Me Time (2022)	7%	32%
The Family Plan (2023)	27%	59%
The Union (2024)	36%	24%
Play Dirty (2025)	42%	42%
The Family Plan 2 (2025)	30%	33%
Balls Up (2026)	28%	26%

In practically every case, Wahlberg's recognizability has helped draw in enough people to turn these movies into major streaming hits.

More people watched Infinite on Paramount+ in 2021 than A Quiet Place Part II. After The Family Plan became Apple's biggest movie ever, they green-lit a sequel, which immediately took the #1 spot on Apple TV+ when it arrived last year.

On Netflix, Wahlberg brought 85 million households to watch Spenser Confidential in its first four weeks. Me Time spent five weeks in Netflix's top 10, including two at #1 worldwide, amassing 59,230,000 viewership hours in its first week and 144 million hours viewed in the first four weeks. Then, The Union spent six weeks in Netflix's top 10, including two at #1 worldwide, and garnered 179.6 million hours viewed in the first month.

Prime Video has seen these results, too. Play Dirty became one of Amazon MGM's top 10 most-viewed streaming movies last year after earning 57 million views in its first 28 days of release. It's too early to tell if Balls Up will have the same longevity or enough interest out of the gate to also go down in Prime Video's record books.

Wahlberg is the common factor in all these poorly received movies with massive streaming viewership. While the trend of movies with bad reviews faring better on streaming goes beyond him, he is benefiting from everyone being more willing to give a movie a shot if it's "free" on streaming. Balls Up becoming a mega success despite poor reactions is evidence of that once more.